3.2.2 Water, food and energy security
Content
- Geographic inquiry and concept(s)
- How pressure on resources affects the future security of places
- Geographic knowledge and understanding
- The water-food-energy 'nexus' and how its complex interactions affect: national water security, including access to safe water
- The water-food-energy 'nexus' and how its complex interactions affect: national food security, including food availability
- The water-food-energy 'nexus' and how its complex interactions affect: national energy security, including energy pathways and geopolitical issues
- Case study or detailed examples
- Detailed examples of two countries with contrasting levels of resource security
- Aims of this lesson
- To be able to describe and explain the national water, food and energy security situation for Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.
Base knowledge and understanding
News article
Drought and floods drove them from their homes. But the hunger followed them
More than 6.5 million Somalis have been pushed to the brink of severe hunger as the climate crisis, fighting and cuts in aid leave a trail of despair
The Guardian · 6 June 2026
Key terms
- Access to safe water
- Measured by the percentage of the population having access to and using improved drinking water sources.
- Desalination
- A process that takes away mineral components from saline water. Saltwater (especially sea water) is desalinated to produce water suitable for human consumption or irrigation.
- Energy pathways
- The flows of energy from producer to consumer. Pathways can take the form of oil pipelines, gas pipelines, electricity power lines and sea routes of tankers.
- Energy security
- A country's ability to secure all its energy needs.
- Food availability
- Food availability in the simplest term is the situation where food is made to exist for consumption at local levels where local individuals or households can locate their needed foods without striving. It depicts the production and supply of varieties of foods.
- Food security
- Exists for a population when all its people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
- Geopolitics
- The struggle over the control of geographical entities with an international and global dimension, and the use of such geographical entities for political advantage.
- Nexus
- The interrelationship, interdependence and interactions between water, food and energy.
- Water security
- Continuing access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
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Review
- Explain one way in which energy availability affects food production. [2]
- Suggest two ways in which water scarcity can threaten a country's food security. [4]
- The benefits of the demographic dividend can only be realised where water, food and energy security have been achieved. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]
- The rapid growth of megacities is the main cause of national resource insecurity. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]
- Resource insecurity has become the main driver of forced migration in the twenty-first century. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]
- The growth of megacities does more to threaten food security than to threaten water security. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]
- Energy security is the most significant pressure within the water-food-energy nexus. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]
- Rapid urbanisation puts more pressure on resource security than any other demographic change. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]
- Climate change poses a greater threat to global food security than to energy security. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]
- “Food security is the most important aspect of resource security for nations.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]